June 13, 2018.
I visited the orphanage again a few days ago.
The matron had died, yet a few of the people there had grown up just like I did.
They all seemed happy.
Most of them had been adopted.
None of them remembered. Remembered what they did to me.
As always, forgetting is a hundred times easier than repentance.
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"Who are you?"
Haven felt herself being tugged backward and the next thing she knew, she was face to face with the very man who continued to haunt her nightmares every second of her life.
Her frown deepened, the music sounding off in her ears and coming to an abrupt halt. "What are you talking about—"
"You're the young girl, aren't you?" he asked, her breath getting caught in her throat at the utter desperation and vulnerability glimmering in his bewitching eyes. "The girl who played and danced around this park, especially around this area?"
Haven gulped, slowly shaking her head in denial unknowingly feeling an emotion similar to pity at the despair and anguish that clouded his ashen orbs after seeing her response.
"I only recently moved here," she stated as softly as she could, trying to tread as carefully as possible with the wild look still present in his darkened orbs. Hurriedly raking through the dead girl's memories, Haven wondered if she had known him in the past or not.
None of her memories held him in there.
"You're completely sure? Think again about your childhood, maybe you'll remember." the flicker of hope in his face made her entire body turn stiff. The unrelenting focus of the whole universe was nothing compared to the attention his eyes had on her existence.
He looked— looked as if he didn't hate her.
"I-I'm sure."
Zei slowly dropped her hand to her side, running a frustrated hand through his messy hair as he stared back at the tree from where he had emerged.
Grabbing her bag, she silently pondered the enigmatic sensation that had coursed through her body at the mere touch of his hand — an electrifyingly warm and hot current that seemed to defy the boundaries of logic and reason. It was almost as if he had a fever himself though he didn't show any visible symptoms or appear as if he was sick or feverish.
Without uttering another syllable, he walked off with no warning, not bothering to slow down or wait for her. Haven jogged behind him as fast as she could to keep up with his long legs, silently cursing this new body for having such short humpty-dumpty legs in comparison to his.
More than half of the ride consisted of utter pin-drop silence. Haven sneaked a glance at him as quietly as possible, immediately snatching her gaze back at the thunderclouds steaming and crackling above his head.
A calm, amiable little wolf was one thing; but a raging, hungry big bad wolf was completely out of her area of expertise.
'Well like the suicide magnet I am, risking my life once more can't be THAT bad. Right?'
Clearing her throat softly, she spoke, "Who was the girl you were talking about?"
"Nobody."
"Tell me."
"A childhood friend." he gritted out, glaring at her for a second before his eyes once again looked forward. Haven breathed out. "Need I remind you that you can manhandle me into doing anything or telling you everything the second you order me to?"
"You didn't leave when I told you to back at the apartment," she remarked and watched him clench his jaw at her words.
"Just don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong." he sighed.
"It's my nose, I'll do whatever I want with it."
Silence once again settled over the car, casting a tranquil spell as the Moon emerged in the corner of the sky, its gentle glow illuminating the surroundings. The stars, like precious gemstones, sparkled and twinkled with breathtaking brilliance, creating a tapestry of cosmic wonder. Yet, despite the celestial spectacle above, her gaze remained locked on the ground beneath her feet, her thoughts consumed by the weight of her own thoughts and emotions.
Come.
Flinching slightly once again, her hands formed into fists on her lap as she tried her best to calm her breathing down before he noticed the sudden change in her behavior. The effort was useless since he did notice the instant the voice echoed inside her head.
"What's wrong?" he glanced toward her and then back at the road. Haven shook her head, mistaking the worry in his eyes for irritation instead.
"Is your fever returning?" he questioned and Haven internally chuckled. Did he just give her a free excuse to use on his own?
"I think so, though it's nothing to worry about. Just a headache."
"Zei," she called him for the first time with his name, instantly grabbing his attention at how his name sounded on her lips. She stared at the side mirror, her eyes narrowing down into a deep frown.
"Huh? What is it?"
She stole a quick glance over her shoulder, her heart pounding in her chest, only to find the two sleek black cars rapidly closing the distance between them. The relentless pursuit filled the air with ominous tension, their darkened windows hiding the intentions of the mysterious figures within. With each passing moment, the cars seemed to loom larger in her vision, their menacing presence growing more palpable.
"There's someone following us..."